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Monthly Archives: January 2015

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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to make excuses for your not losing weight or keeping it off? Days come, days go and you are still waiting for the magic right moment. Or you gained a few and you are waiting to work those few off.

I certainly have had my own excuses. Here is the deal. If you want to lose weight, you have to get your butt in gear and stop the excuses. Ask yourself what you are doing to stop yourself from losing and find a way around it.

Examples:

1. “I just can’t do it.” (But, yes you can!)

2. “My body is holding onto fat and won’t lose weight.” (Go see your doctor and find out if there is a problem, not just assume it!”

3. “I don’t have time right now.” (Cut something out that you don’t have to do to find the time.)

4. “I am too stressed.” (Exercise will help your stress, and you will lose weight, so that is just an excuse because there will always be a reason to wait!)

10 Things You Can and Should Do to Lose Weight:

(Rules that skinny people follow)

1. Figure out what protein snacks you need to bring with you during the day so that you are eating small protein foods every 3-4 hours. If you let your body go without food for too long, then it goes into starvation mode and holds onto the weight longer. I bring small individual bags of nuts or low-carb protein bars.

2. Eat a breakfast every morning. In a hurry, I grab a hard-boiled egg that I buy pre-done from Costco or Trader Joes. Not in a hurry, I make some eggs with cheese in the AM. Doesn’t take long and it is filling.

3. Bring non sugary fluids with you and fill up on fluids all day long.

4. Prepare earlier the night before or on weekends to have breakfast, lunch and dinner foods and bring them with you for lunch or to work or after if you don’t have the money to eat out somewhere where you CHOOSE healthy proteins, salads and vegetables for a meal–and it has to be the right proportion of food (4 ounces of meat), handful of veggies. You can also have two small servings of fruit per day, but keep in mind that some fruits are higher in carbs (bananas) and some are lower in carbs (berries/citrus’).

5. Eat 6 small proteins per day. Eat two small servings of fruits per day and 4 small servings of vegetables per day.

6. Avoid sugar and high carbs and keep carbs down (between 50 to 100g of carbs per day).

7. Read labels of things before you eat them.

8. Exercise! Get in at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week and more if you can do it.

9. If stressed, don’t eat food, go for a walk, have a drink with no sugar/carbs. Or talk to someone.

10. Put yourself first for half an hour per day. Learn to cut down on something each day to get in the exercise. I have put off folding laundry to get in some time on the elliptical. The laundry can wait, but not your weight!

No more excuses: MOTIVATE and start now. Anytime is a great time to start!

“One reason that people resist change is that they focus on what they have to give up, rather than what they have to gain.” –Rick Godwin

How many of you don’t like the idea of dieting because you feel like you are giving up your favorite foods or that your diet will be boring and no fun?

Giving up the wrong foods and the wrong way of eating lets you gain so much in self-esteem and being healthy.

Let’s face it, you have been doing it “wrong” for years or you wouldn’t be here right now. I know that is true, I have lived it. And yes, you might have a health issue (like me) or aging (like me) and it is harder to lose weight and you can’t eat nearly all of the same things you used to love to eat.

Look at it this way. How lucky for you to eat all of those so-bad-for-you foods for so long, but now it is time to grow up and learn how to control yourself. You are not a child anymore and you don’t have to eat all of your favorite things every day.

I eat at a salad and sandwich shop a lot and every time I am there, I am shocked to see how many patrons who are overweight, buy a bag of potato chips with their healthy salad or sandwich. If you want to be thin, you must have portion control and you have to count carbs.

I don’t eat sandwiches for lunch anymore because there are anywhere from 11 to 36g of carbs PER slice of bread. And the bag of chips has about 14g of carbs. So, if you eat a sandwich with a bag of chips, you could be eating anywhere from 36 to 86g of carbs per lunch (without counting meat, cheese, etc) and sugary carby soda. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat between 50g and 100g of carbs per day and you just had almost all of it in one sitting. This is why people find it hard to eat right or diet. They have had NO idea how to count carbs and eat in a way that is conducive to a maintaining a normal weight. Now, you can eat all of this if you are going to go for a run later…but how many of you do that?

But, even my own family member who refused to change her food habits has finally changed after she was told she is VERY pre-diabetic. Do you have to wait until you are that sick to finally do the right thing for yourself? Go to Overeater’s Anonymous or a Medically supervised plan (like Lindora), join a workout club or group exercise (like my Pilates and Yoga–start with the beginner classes), but get help and do it right for the New Year–this year should have prosperity and well-being. Do it for yourself.

Many of you are thinking about making a change for the new year. Lifestyle changes are hard, but they have to be seen as something to do and learn ways to like them and stay with them. Diets don’t work. You have to change your relationship with food before you change your food

I now see food as nourishing, not for comfort, as I used to see it. I eat six small proteins a day, two small fruit portions a day and four small vegetable servings a day. I also have two small salads per day. I eat about every three to four hours. I always carry low-carb protein bars in my purse, in case it is time to eat and the only food that I am around Is fattening and unhealthy. The worst thing for your weight control is to allow yourself to get too hungry, go too long without eating (and slow down your metabolism), and not drink enough fluids throughout the day,

Supplements are important too. I found that most people who seem to have weight issues, either are eating too many carbs, earring too much and large portions, not drinking enough water, eating too much wheat or gluten, low on thyroid hormone, and low in Vitamin D or Iron. It is important for you to ask your doctor for a check up blood test for vitamin deficiencies and make sure that your weight issues are not hormone or not vitamin or mineral related.

Sorry, but exercise is key too. I am writing this blog right now while on my IPad, atop of my elliptical. Multitasking makes it easier for me to exercise. Everyone is different. Some father go to the gym or walk with a group. I go to group Pilates and yoga, but it prefer the elliptical at home, while I multitask. Find a way to move that you enjoy doing, and you will be way more successful at exercising consistently.

I was very busy with a new job and then I hurt my back. So, I kept up with some Pilates, but I am now back on the elliptical and my plan is to work in a schedule during each week….and I am getting in my elliptical right now too! The idea is that you have to keep trying. Exercise is about the journey, you will arrive at your destination whether you go slowly or quickly. Just keep at it.

Welcome to the year of the Green Wooden Sheep. It is a year of prosperity and Well Being. Go forth and lose weight, get in shape and look and feel great! Start moving and read my blog from the beginning about the rules to lose weight and keep it off. It has been 3 years for me now since I lost the weight. It can be done!